Mark Mobius, the veteran emerging markets investing pioneer, died at 89. Often referred to as the “Godfather of Emerging Markets,” Mobius visited 112 countries, wrote 15 books, once managed $40 billion in assets at Templeton and invested in over 5,000 companies over the past few decades.

In 1987, Mobius began running Templeton Emerging Markets, one of the first emerging markets funds globally. He remained with Franklin Templeton Investments for over 30 years. During this period, his extensive research and on-ground visits across emerging economies formed the basis of his investment insights, often overlooked by global investors, including correctly calling the 2009 bull market and investing in Africa ahead of peers.

Under Mobius, the Templeton Emerging Markets Group initially invested $100 million across six markets. By the time of his departure, this had grown to over $40 billion across 70 countries.

Mobius later founded Mobius Investments. John Ninia, partner at Mobius Investments, and Eric Nguyen, partner at Mobius Investments, will now assume leadership responsibilities. The firm will continue to operate without changes to its investment approach or day-to-day operations, a LinkedIn statement suggested.

Mobius was born on August 17, 1936, in Hempstead, New York. During his tenure with Templeton, he witnessed transformative changes in emerging markets, with economies opening up to foreign investors, adopting market-based systems, standardising economic policies and becoming more sophisticated in managing currencies and overall macroeconomic stability.

Renowned Egyptian-American economist Mohamed A. El-Erian said in a post on X: “I'm deeply saddened to hear the news of Mark Mobius’s passing. Mark was a pioneer in the world of emerging market investing, spending decades as a tireless and honest promoter of the asset class he helped bring to the global stage. With this and his analytical brilliance, he inspired so many of us in the industry. May he rest in peace.”

In an interview with Siddharth Zarabi, Group Editor at Business Today, in May last year, Mobius reaffirmed his long-standing support for gold, emphasising its enduring value and cultural significance in India.

Mobius recommended that investors keep at least 10 per cent of their portfolio in physical gold. “No one knows what the price will be tomorrow or next week,” he said, adding that the consistent appeal of gold makes it a reliable asset through economic cycles. His advice reinforced gold’s role as a timeless hedge. From below Rs 1 lakh per 10 grams then, gold prices today trade at Rs 1.56 lakh per 10 grams.

Mobius, in an interview to CNBC TV-18 in 2024 said he would stick with his Sensex target of the 1,00,000-mark in the next five years. Mobius said the BSE benchmark would hit the 1 lakh mark within the next five years or earlier, he said.